CEREC Crowns and Bridgework

CEREC Crowns and Bridgework – At Augustine Dental, we are proud to be an Austin dentist that offers cutting-edge dental restorations to help our patients regain their smiles and reclaim their confidence. Crowns, implants, and bridgework are excellent options for restoring damaged or missing teeth and provide patients with smiles that are functional, durable, and attractive.

Crowns

Dental crowns are a great way to restore damaged or lost teeth and provide individuals with healthy, functioning, and natural-looking smiles. In essence, a crown is a cap that looks and acts just like a regular, natural tooth. Crowns are made of strong materials such as porcelain, and extend all the way to the gum line (unlike dental veneers, which simply coat the front surface of the tooth).

We see lots of patients who come in concerned about the fate of damaged teeth. After searching through dozens of Austin dentists, patients quickly learn why we’re a leading provider of dental restoration services. Often, part of a damaged tooth is still salvageable, even after sustaining a chip or crack. In other cases, a tooth may be so damaged that it requires replacement. In both cases, we can apply a crown to bring the damaged tooth back up to peak function and appearance.

What Does Crowning a Tooth Involve?

Conventional dental crowns require multiple visits. After an initial evaluation, a dentist applies a numbing medication to the damaged tooth, which is then re-shaped to create a good foundation for the crown. Next, impressions are taken to be sent off to a dental laboratory, which is typically responsible for generating the dental crown. Once the dentist receives the finished crown, they bond the crown to your tooth, functionally and visibly restoring your smile. CEREC technology allows us to perform all steps in-house so you leave with your permanent new crown on the same day.

What is a Dental Crown Made Of?

Today, dental crowns are made from a variety of strong and durable substances. Porcelain is a popular choice because of its durability and attractive, natural color. Cast gold and other metals can provide even more stability to a crown, however, they do not have the same aesthetic appeal of being tooth-colored and indistinguishable from the surrounding teeth. Because of their color, these metals are less popular for the visible front teeth, and more commonly seen on back molars.

How Long Does Crown Placement Take?

The length of time it takes to place a crown varies significantly depending on the tooth, whether or not an implant is required, the materials chosen for the crown, and more. For an individual tooth, a same-day crown procedure is possible thanks to modern technological advancements.

CEREC – Same-Day Crowns

We are proud at Augustine Dental to offer our patients another option for crowns: state-of-the-art CEREC same-day crowns. This modern technique produces durable ceramic crowns the very same day, eliminating the need to return at a later date for crown placement. The CEREC technique involves 3D digital imaging of the tooth, followed by finalizing and polishing of the design, and finally “milling,” in which a machine quickly produces the digital design in hard ceramic. The speed of this process enables the dentist to place the crown on the very same day. With CEREC crowns, there is no need for messy impressions or wearing ill-fitting temporary crowns for weeks.

Bridgework

In some cases, damaged teeth can’t be saved, or dental loss has already occurred. But even in these scenarios, a dentist can still fully restore a smile to a beautiful and fully functional state. One option for this kind of restoration is bridgework. Your dentist may consider a bridge in the case of removal or loss of multiple teeth.

What Does Bridgework Involve?

A dental bridge restores two or more missing teeth with essentially indistinguishable artificial teeth. The benefits of a bridge are minimal crowns and implants – in other words, as little “hardware” as possible.

First, your dentist creates the “anchors” of the bridge by crowning teeth on either side of the gap, called abutment teeth, or by placing implants into the jaw bone to secure the crowns. For example, a single missing tooth could be restored by creating a three-tooth bridge: two crowns on either side (the abutment, or “anchor” teeth), with the new middle tooth being the center of the bridge. Built with the same materials as crowns, such as porcelain, metals, or a combination, the missing teeth are just as strong and functional as natural teeth.

How Many Office Visits Does Bridgework Require?

Much like simple crown placement, bridgework varies in the amount of time required to complete this type of dental restoration. The shaping of the anchor teeth or placing implants can require a few days to a few weeks in between visits, depending on the needs of the patient.

No matter what kind of dental restoration you choose, it’s important to remember that regular dental hygiene such as daily brushing and flossing habits are necessary for natural and artificial teeth alike. Diligent maintenance will not only help to keep your smile bright and healthy but will also help your crowns and bridgework last for years. Just like natural teeth, both crowns and bridgework are susceptible to wear, so it’s also important to keep up with regular dental exams at your Austin dentist to ensure the health of your new teeth for years to come.

I grind my teeth a lot and because of that have had moderately extensive work done as I break fillings and get cavities. Due to this I’ve developed apprehension around dental work and wanted a patient and informative dentist. I’ve recently moved to the Austin area and am so glad I checked yelp for reviews, this on Michael and his staff are spot on. He explained my options, pointed out how I could save money and was very patient and frank, which I appreciated. During my actual procedure he made sure I was calm and felt in control, which helped immensely with getting through it. His staff are extremely friendly, warm, and very caring. I left feeling like I had spent quality time with lovely people, which is nuts when your getting a partial crown out in. Please check them out!! – Ashley C., Austin, TX

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Michael Augustine Jr., D.D.S.
Dr. Augustine has been practicing in Austin since 2001. After completion of his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin, he received his D.D.S. degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas.
Dr. Augustine is very active in … Read More